


Long Live the King

by m_is_for_mungo



Series: They Are Ying and Yang [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Canon Divergent, Canon-Typical Violence, Disabled Character, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 14:59:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13615818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_is_for_mungo/pseuds/m_is_for_mungo
Summary: Rory is the Sole Survivor of Vault 111... Or is he? He rushes out into the Commonwealth with one goal in mind: find his missing infant son.  He finds so much on the way, new friends, enemies, and friends become enemies in this tale!Still not good at summaries but this is Rory's branch of the They Are Ying and Yang series. Lily's branch is up, and we are off to the races! Thanks again to my creative backboard, @rogues-norunt, and for her letting me breathe life into Rory and letting Lily be there.





	Long Live the King

**Author's Note:**

> This is the typical start to the game, so feel free to skip it. I personally wouldn't because it involves small bits of Rory's backstory, but it's your reading experience!

"War. War never changes." Rory sighed, patting the water from his cheek. 

"You're going to knock 'em dead hun." He turned to his wife and gathered her up in his arms. "You really think so?" he said, lowering his tone. If he was being honest, giving this speech was harder than anything he had done in his military career. He had killed, hunted, and protected so many people, but the thought of being paraded in front of his fellow servicemen and women.. To treated like a hero, it unsettled his stomach. Nora just beamed at him and patted his shoulder. "I know so. And I'm your wife, so I know everything," she added cheekily.   He just grinned at her and turned back to the mirror. He gave himself one last glance and turned to head to their bedroom. He settled at the end of the bed and stretched out his legs. The sight still bothered him. The prosthetic had taken some getting used to, but the phantom limb syndrome was unlike anything he could have ever expected. His eyes traveled up to his hands and flexed his fists. He had saved his comrades, but lost an arm and a leg doing so. He still felt the burning, the impact, and the smell... No, he had to pull himself together. Those thoughts could wait. He stood up and stretched, various bones cracking, and made his way to join his wife in the kitchen.  

"Ah! Good morning, sir! Your coffee if prepared, a perfect 175 degrees and the daily paper has just arrived. I shall have breakfast prepared soon!" Their mechanical butler whirred around the small kitchen, arms flailing for his various tasks.  

"Thank you Codsworth. I appreciate it," Rory picked up his mug of coffee, the scent soothing away the thoughts edging their way into the forefront. He was home. He was with his wife and their darling baby boy, and they were safe. As if hearing his thoughts, sudden cries rang from the back of the house. "Ah, sounds like someone made a stinky! I will have young Shaun taken care of in no time," Codsworth cheerily sang as he whirred down the hall.  

"Hey honey, I know you were hesitant at first, but I'm really glad we decided to get Codsworth. He's been a godsend," Nora said, setting the paper down to stand by him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Rory smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You know? I think you might just be right again." Nora just laughed and walked to sit on the couch. Just as Rory moved to join her, the doorbell rang. Nora glanced at the door and sighed. "It's that salesman again. Could you get the door? I've tried to see what he wants, but he just asks for you instead."

Rory furrowed his brows and nodded, walking to open the door. "Good morning sir, Vault-Tec calling!" the chipper salesman greeted. "Am I glad I caught you today! I have a special offer for you- a place in the local vault. Vault 111! Due to your service to our country, you have been specially selected and pre-accepted, and all I need is last minute information!"

Rory blinked at the man, before catching up on everything he said. "Uh. Well, I have a family, is there enough room?". The sales rep smiled and nodded, "Of course! Minus your robot naturally. The vaults are designed to have all of the amenities of the modern home for your comfort!" Rory glanced to Nora, slightly shrugging and she nodded at him. "Sure. Sign us up."  He took the clipboard from the man, scribbling their information down, and handed it back to him. "That's perfect! You're all set and prepared for the future!" Rory gently closed the door and turned to Nora. "Well that wasn't so bad." Nora smiled at him and patted the couch next to her. "Think about it as peace of mind, hm?" 

"For you and Shaun, I'd do anything." Codsworth's whirring motor grew louder as he returned to the living room. "Master Atwood, I have changed Shaun, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. Maybe he needs some of that paternal affection you're so good at." Nora nudges him gently, "go on, I'll be in there in a moment."

Rory grunted as he pushed himself from the couch and made his way to Shaun's nursery. He gently patted his son's belly, cooing for him to calm down. The infant gurgled at him, and giggled as Rory pulled silly faces for him."How are the two most important men in my life doing?" Nora called to him from the doorway. Rory shot her a grin and turned back to look at the small child. "Why don't you turn on the mobile? He loves that." Rory clicked it on and his smile grew as Shaun's eyes locked onto the tiny rocket ships and he babbled at them. "Listen, maybe after breakfast we can head to the park? Weather should hold up." Rory turned back to her with a conspiratorial grin and wiggled his eyebrows. "The park you say? Hoping to turn Shaun into a big brother already?" She rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Slow down there big guy. Let's talk about that later." Before Rory could get another word in, he was interrupted by Codsworth. 

"Sir! Mum! You may want to come see this!". Nora's head whipped to the door. "Codsworth honey? What's the matter? Rory, go see what's wrong, I'll be right there." Rory rounded the door and rushed into the living room. Codsworth arm waved to the TV where the reporter was visibly emotional. "We... We have confirmed -yes confirmed reports of nuclear detonation in New York and Pennsylvania. My god...." the broadcast suddenly quit and the breath was stolen from Rory's lungs. Nora gasped by his side, "Did he say nuclear detonations!? We need to get to the vault! I've got Shaun!"

Faces were a blur to Rory. He saw his neighbors panicking, military men ushering people to the vault. Soldiers in power armor, and the terrified face of the Vault-Tec sales representative. "We need to get into the vault! We're in the program!" he yelled at the guard at the fence. It felt like an eternity passed as the man read the list. "Adult male, infant, adult female. Alright." 

Rory shoved past the man and followed another. He thought he heard Nora ask about those being left behind, but the edges of his mind were closing in on him. He survived so much, but the threat to his family had him truly terrified. They hit the platform and he grasped Nora's shoulder. "Are you alright? How is Shaun doing?" She opened her mouth to respond when a huge explosion lit up the sky to the south. Nora shreiked and ducked down, many of their neighbors doing the same, but Rory could only gawk at the growing cloud in the sky. 

"Go! Go! Send it down now!" There was no way they would make it. He could see the wave of energy racing across the earth, any second and they'd be knocked down by it. By some miracle, the horizon disappeared over the lip of the platform just as the wave hit, and the world darkened. 

_____________________________________________________

Rory blinked at the bright lights of the Vault, and looked around at the people surrounding him. In mere minutes, the people he had known for a few years was knocked down to a handful of atomic survivors. The man to his left, Mr. Russell, was shaking. "If we had left a minute sooner...". A man in a Vault suit, Rory assumed the Overseer, stepped forward to usher them off the elevator. He gestured up the stairs and put on a sad smile, "Step up and we'll get you squared away. Try not to think about it. You're safe now." Rory felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Nora, fighting back a few tears. 

"All of those people at the gate... They're gone, aren't they?" she whispered, biting her lip. Rory just nodded and pulled her head to plant a kiss on her head. "He's right, try not to think about it. Shaun is safe. We have to think about us and our new life now," he tried to reassure her. They made it through the lineup, vault suits in hand, and passed the other distraught dwellers. 

"This facility is one of the most advanced in existence, not that the others aren't good, mind you," the doctor was droning on, but Rory wasn't paying attention. They stopped at the front of large pods, open to be used. "These will decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper into the vault. Just step in and put on your vault suit."

Shaun's cries brought Rory back into focus, and he put his finger in his son's tiny fist. "Hey little guy, I'm not going far. You'll see your old man soon, okay?" he looked up a Nora, giving her a small smile before stepping up to the pod. He quickly changed into the vault suit, and stepped in, turning to give his wife a small wave. "Time for a whole new life," he sighed out, as the pod hissed and ground, locking him in.

"Process complete. In 5... 4... 3... 2.." Rory let out one last sigh, before losing consciousness.

________________________________________________________ 

Rory woke with a jolt, groggy and disoriented, rubbing his face before realizing he heard voices outside of his pod. His head shot up, and was met by a figure in a hazmat suit pointing to Nora's pod. "This is it. This is the one. Stand back," the female voice said, while a mercenary figure rounded the other side. Rory's breath caught in his throat as he heard Nora coughing for hers, and Shaun crying. "Alright. Come on. Come here sweet baby," the female cooed out, reaching for Shaun.

Nora's grasp on the infant tightened. "Wh-What's going on? Is it over? Are we safe?" she coughed again, her vision clearing. The woman reached again for Shaun, "You're okay. Just give him here." Nora shook her head. "No that's alright, I've got him."

Rory pounded his fist on the glass as the man leveled his pistol to Nora. "Let go of the child. I'll only tell you once." Rory hit the glass again, "Don't do it Nora! Keep him safe!"

He jumped when the gunshot rang out and watched his wife's body slump back in the pod. "God damnit! Get the kid out of here." He turned to Rory's pod and examined him. "At least we still have the backup..."

Rory sneered at the man and attempted to kick the pod's door, but found himself losing consciousness again. "Nora... I'm sorry," he slurred as sleep took him once again.


End file.
